Drain cleaner



A. A. SCHUBRING DRAIN CLEANER Filed Jan. 23, 1939 INVENTOR. A1552? Acauemve BYM 7 ATTORNEY April 2, 1940 llllllllllllll Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATIENT oFFicE 4 Claims.

Further objects will in part appear or will part be pointed out in the course of the following description of one embodiment of the invention, which is'given as a non-limiting example in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a. device con structed in accordance with the invention, showing the same in normal position; and

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the same device in collapsed position.

The main part of the apparatus of the invention comprises substantially spherical body 5 of resilient material, which may conveniently be composed of a pair of rubber force cups 6 and 1, which are cemented or otherwise securely joined together at their rims 8. This joint is strengthened on the outside by a suitable binding 9, which may preferably be of spun metal. The whole construction is reinforced on the inside by a light metal member such as V-pulley ll) of aluminum or similar material, to which force cups 6 and 1 are cemented at H.

Hub l2 of force cup 6 is provided with a handle member l3, which is preferably made of wood and is secured in the force cup by cement or any other suitable connection. Handle I3 is provided with an axial bore l4 whose purpose willbe described hereinafter.

To hub l5 of force cup I is secured hub 16 of a third force cup ll. This connection may conveniently be made by cementing hubs l5 and It to a short metal fitting l8 which also serves to put the inside of force cup I1 into communication with the interior ofbody 5. This joint is preferably strengthened by a suitable metal collar 19.

The operation of the device will be obvious from the above description. Force cup I! is placed over the drain to be cleaned, and the device is collapsed by downward pressure on handle l3, as shown in Fig. 2. Handle I3 is then pulled in the opposite direction, and the resulting suctioncreated by the expansion of the device to normal shape tends to dislodge whatever material is clogging the drain. In order to maintain the.

alignment of the device and prevent sidewise dis- (C'l; 4--255) placement thereof, va metal rod 20 is secured by one end in fitting l8. Its other end fits loosely in bore M of handle 13 and telescopes therewith when the device is collapsed.

The described device has many advantages over anything heretofore available. It is'in' some respects similar to that shown in my co-pending application, SerialNo. 211,331, filed June 2, 1938, which device, however, is designed tobe used for heavy duty in conjunction with the aid of run- 10 ning water. The present invention is intended more for lighter use as in the home. Since it is made of relatively light materials, it requires little force to operate it yet is capable of creating extremely powerful suction.

It is, of course, within the'scope of the invention to make body 5 of a single piece, but the molding of such a single piece would be difficult if not impossible. For that reason, the illustrated construction is preferable in that it provides means for accomplishing the desired purposes with simple and readily obtainable material.

Since certain changes in carrying out the above process, and certain modifications in the article 25 andspecific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the in- 35 vention which,'as a matter of language, might be said to ,fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A drain cleaner, comprising in combination, 4 a hollow body of resilient material, a collapsible force cup secured to said body, the inside of said force cup and inside of said body being in communication, closed handle means for said cleaner, and. reinforcing means within said body for pre- 45 venting sidewise displacement thereof.

2. A drain cleaner, comprising in combination, a hollow body of resilient material, closed handle means secured to sa'id'body and provided with an axial bore extending through part of its length, 50 a collapsible force cup secured to said body at a point opposite said handle means and commu adapted to telescope into the bore in said handle 55' a pair of rubber force cups secured together at their rims to form a hollow body, closed handle means secured to the hub of one of said force cups, and provided with an axial bore extending through part of its length, and a third force cup secured at its hub to the hub of the other of said pair, said third force cup being in communication with the interior of said hollow body, and a rigid member mounted within said body and adapted to telescope into the bore in said handle 10 means, thus preventing sidewise displacement of said body.

ALBERT A. SCHU'BRING. 

